One Voice in Leaders' Ears Is From Economist With Rosy View on Growth

BEIJING—Justin Lin Yifu has an unusual background for an economist, particularly one who has the ear of China's top leaders.

In 1979, then a 26-year-old captain in the Taiwan army, he defected to Communist China. Details of the story are recounted by the New Yorker's Evan Osnos in his book "Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China." Mr. Lin slipped off his sneakers, stole down a sandy path on...